Austin ISD Social Studies Weekly

November 16-22

Austin ISD Social Studies Weekly

November 16-22

Learning Opportunities in Austin ISD

FTE Economics support for Teachers

A former Austin ISD Economics teacher who is currently a consultant for the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE) will offer a session for teachers regarding the use of experiential learning activities (especially for reaching ELL's in conjunction with ELPs and SIOP strategies). In order to have him come to Austin, I need Economics teachers to complete the Google Form below.

Learning Opportunities outside of AISD

Book Presentations by Austin authors at the Austin History Center

Invisible in Austin

Join the Austin History Center for a reading and discussion with contributors from Invisible in Austin: Life and Labor in an American City.

Timely and essential reading, Invisible in Austin makes visible the growing gap between rich and poor that is reconfiguring the cityscape of one of America's most dynamic places, as low-wage workers are forced to the social and symbolic margins.

Austin in the Jazz Age

We invite you to join us for a presentation on Austin in the Jazz Age by the author, Richard Zelade, followed by a book signing.

Though renowned, Austin's contemporary music scene pales in comparison with the explosion of creative talent the city spawned during the Jazz Age. Join author Richard Zelade in a raucous investigation of the day and its most outstanding and outlandish characters.

Where: Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe

When: Saturday, December 5th, 2:00 PM

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on this event, call 512-974-7480

Indelible Austin

We invite you to join us for a presentation on

Indelible Austin: Selected Histories and a book signing by the author, Michael Barnes.

Indelible Austin collects several dozen historical columns written by Michael Barnes and originally published by the Austin American-Statesman. Themes include the natural settings, built environments, older neighborhoods, ancestral families, park gems, the meeting of politics, cultures and charity, as well as interpretations of how Old and New Austin relate.

Where: Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe

When: Tuesday, December 8th, 6:30 PM

The event is free and open to the public.

There will be free street parking for this event.

For more information on this event, call 512-270-0132

Invisible in Austin

Join the Austin History Center for a reading and discussion with contributors from Invisible in Austin: Life and Labor in an American City.

Timely and essential reading, Invisible in Austin makes visible the growing gap between rich and poor that is reconfiguring the cityscape of one of America's most dynamic places, as low-wage workers are forced to the social and symbolic margins.

Austin in the Jazz Age

We invite you to join us for a presentation on Austin in the Jazz Age by the author, Richard Zelade, followed by a book signing.

Though renowned, Austin's contemporary music scene pales in comparison with the explosion of creative talent the city spawned during the Jazz Age. Join author Richard Zelade in a raucous investigation of the day and its most outstanding and outlandish characters.

Where: Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe

When: Saturday, December 5th, 2:00 PM

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on this event, call 512-974-7480

Indelible Austin

We invite you to join us for a presentation on

Indelible Austin: Selected Histories and a book signing by the author, Michael Barnes.

Indelible Austin collects several dozen historical columns written by Michael Barnes and originally published by the Austin American-Statesman. Themes include the natural settings, built environments, older neighborhoods, ancestral families, park gems, the meeting of politics, cultures and charity, as well as interpretations of how Old and New Austin relate.

Where: Austin History Center, 810 Guadalupe

When: Tuesday, December 8th, 6:30 PM

The event is free and open to the public.

There will be free street parking for this event.

For more information on this event, call 512-270-0132

Upcoming Student Opportunties

Censored in America: The War on Free Speech Student Essay Contest

You can WIN A TRIP TO NEW YORK CITY when your students enter our 2015-2016

Censored in America: The War on Free Speech ESSAY CONTEST

125 CASH PRIZES for students, totaling $15,500!

Help your students earn great prizes by entering them in Stossel in the Classroom's 2015-2016 essay contest, for students aged 12-18! In addition to 125 prizes for students totaling $15,500, every teacher whose student(s) earn an honorable-mention award or better will receive an autographed copy of one of John Stossel's bestselling books!

Teachers may submit an unlimited number of student essays (500-1000 words in length) on our web site between now and the February 18, 2016, deadline. Simply have your students view John Stossel's "Censored in America" Fox News hour (view the streaming video here; you must be logged in), and write an essay to submit to our contest. The essay topic is listed below.

ESSAY TOPIC:

Is Free Speech becoming more limited in America? John Stossel considers that in his recent Fox News hour, "Censored in America." Words can wound, so should we have increased limits around free speech? Why or why not? Does free speech have a special role in a free society?

"Censored in America" says that students are sometimes kept away from words and ideas they might find disturbing. What do you think? Are there areas in society today where we should allow more free speech? Are there areas where we should restrict free speech?

Please write a 500-1000 word essay on this topic. You should include your own examples of free speech controversies, and you must include at least one reference to the TV special or Stossel's book, "No They Can't."

We are offering your students 125 CASH PRIZES totaling $15,500! First and second place winners will also receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York City for themselves, an adult chaperone each, and the teachers who submitted their essays, to meet John Stossel and to see a live taping of STOSSEL. Click this link for complete rules and submission information.

Recommended Online Resources

GOVT: Gerrymandering lesson from C-SPAN

C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations, a site produced by C-SPAN's Senior Fellows, Brian Rock and Randy Bilyeu, has been updated with a new and in-depth lesson to help your students deliberate the issue of redistricting.

In 2015, the Supreme Court decided in Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Redistricting Commission that the voters of a state could use the initiative process to take the power to draw election maps out of the hands of the Legislature and give it to an independent commission. This was the latest battle waged over an issue that is as old as our Republic – gerrymandering.

In 1812, the Governor of Massachusetts signed legislation that created a new set of boundaries for state legislative and Congressional districts. Some of these districts were oddly shaped, and the resulting map favored the Governor’s Republican Party in the following elections. So began the process of distorting election maps for political gain.

The first part of our new deliberation focuses on the fundamentals of this process – what is gerrymandering and how it is done. Through Part 1, you’ll learn what you need to address the first question: Should state legislatures be allowed to draw congressional district boundaries in such a way that the majority party in the state may gain an advantage?

Over the last twenty years, a new development has changed the debate around gerrymandering. If you accept that the mapmaking process is political, the best solution may be to take it out of the hands of politicians. Several states, starting with California, have done just that. They’ve created independent commissions to draw election maps. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to force every state to follow suit, although thus far it hasn’t had much success.

The second part of this deliberation focuses on this question – Would independent commissions improve the redistricting process?

Learn about the various positions on this issue by watching C-SPAN videos, reading related articles, and using our lesson plan on our C-SPAN Classroom Deliberations site. Then participate in a “Deliberation” in your classroom regarding the redistricting process.